Guest Blog: Proper Branding Starts With a Search

Since you are reading this on its site, I suspect that you are familiar with Gainlight Studios Inc. Gainlight is great at branding your business. As its owner will tell you, in order to grow and protect the value of your company, a brand is necessary. In the law, we call any source of good or service a mark.  I’m writing to let you know that before you pick your brand or mark though, you should ensure no one else has already used the mark.

Many business owners have a mark in mind before they even have a product.  Most of those don’t check to see whether someone else already had the mark though.  Proper investigation through trademark searching is imperative to avoid possible trademark infringement lawsuits, or having to start over with a different brand. To lose a federal trademark infringement suit and/or lose all your brand equity for failing to do a quick simple search at the beginning is both an unnecessary risk and a foolhardy enterprise.

A good starting off point is searching the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s TESS database for conflicting marks.  However, this search only covers existing and pending federal registrations of trademarks.  Just because a mark isn’t registered does not mean that the owner of the mark lacks trademark protection.  In fact, the law affords any mark holder some limited – so called common law – trademark rights. As I said, this is only a starting off point.

A more complete search is often called a common law search.  This kind of search will cover all pending and registered trademarks as mentioned above.  However, it will also search the registers of all 50 states for any state registrations, and common law and trade name directories, as well as domain names.  This is a complete search that affords not only the knowledge that you’re not infringing someone’s mark, but can serve the non-legal function of a guide to navigate potential conflicts that may exist in the landscape for your products or services.  Additionally, you may learn that a term is already being over used in a field and you don’t even want to be using that mark.  Investing marketing and branding resources into a mark that isn’t even distinctive is like digging a fox hole with a spoon.  You may get a hole dug, but it will take much, much longer. Beyond trying to make a name for business, the overused term will not be provided that much protection by the courts if it is later infringed by third parties.

Do you need an attorney to do all of this?  I can’t give you advice on that, but I can say though that a failure to conduct a proper trademark search can land you in hot water for willful infringement of a suit.  Basically, your failure to do your due diligence will result in the court possibly ruling that you might as well have, and purposefully ripped off someone else in bad faith.  In addition, while many people could have an opinion on whether marks you find are similar or the same, so as to infringe, every Federal Circuit Court of Appeals has a different multi-faceted test for what actually constitutes “confusingly similar.”  A licensed attorney concentrating in trademarks, or willing to take the time to research the case law and statute will be more able to render a legal opinion on whether or not the law would view a mark as confusingly similar.

TL/DR – In short, cause a proper trademark search to occur prior to committing to any branding.  To fail to do so is foolhardy, but to do so is an early step in creating not only a great brand, but a great brand that is protectable and not infringing.

Disclaimer:

This blog post was prepared solely for informational purposes. This blog post does not contain any legal advice and does not result in or constitute an attorney-client relationship. Please do not forward any confidential information; I will assume that information received is not confidential. Any readers of the blog post should consult with an attorney before relying upon any of the information contained on the blog post.

Balance Your Inspiration with Action

Ask anyone that starts or runs a business and you are likely to be told stories of random instances of inspiration that seem to strike from no where and affect the course of their company positively.

The thing is, it is not just business owners, but all individuals that share in these random instances of creative idea generation. Unfortunately, for many, these come and go without any remberance. Going astray in those random spurts of creativity? Good ideas

Just two weeks ago, I grabbed a recent edition of BusinessWeek and started reading. My reading started in front of the television upstairs and made its way around the house until it ended up in the bathroom with a stack of other magazines. Truthfully, I do my best reading there.

I got to reading a story on a company called Plan B Branding. The article was called “It’s Not Whether You Win or Lose. It’s How You Sell the Game“. It told the stories of Jason and Casey, a pair of enterprising individuals that followed their passion of branding to the minor leagues, creating a niche that did not previously exist.

The parallels between the company Matt and myself are running now and that which Jason and Casey are currently successful at were astounding.

Jason and Casey started their business in college, the idea? They saw logos out there and knew, they, themselves, could do them better. After sending out letters to over 130 minor league teams, one responded. They proceeded to spend three months creating that logo…for free.

Interesting because as I was working for Bradley, I found myself thinking the same thing. I was the person in charge of doing all the creative for an NCAA Division-1 athletics institution as a student. This very point was enough to convince me that I could do this on my own and make money at it. It also began the conversation between myself and Matt about the idea of starting a business.

After reading the BusinessWeek article, I immediately handed it to Matt, excited to see two young individuals having success in a similar arena as us. This is where the fun began, because after Matt read it, he found their website and crafted an email to them. Balancing both of inspiration with a bit of action.

To our astonishment, they not only got back to Matt, but set up a conference call with us for that Friday. Extremely excited for the opportunity, our team prepared questions and fired away to Jason on the other end.

We had blocked 20 minutes off for the conference call but it lasted over an hour, with no realization of this until the conversation was over. The discussion was encouraging, inspiring, and eye-opening. We left with over a page of notes each and with a renewed focus, a great contact, and a piece of advice we won’t soon forget: “Go into battle assuming all your ninjas are going to die.” An effective idea for any business meeting, proposal, or creative concept.

Matt simply acted on an idea with this same premise in mind. So what if he didn’t get an email back? He spent a few minutes crafting an email and if he got a response, great! If not, what’s 10 minutes of time?

We got great advice, from a great person in Jason. He merely requested we pay it forward when our time came. So here’s some advice for all of you:

1. When an idea strikes: WRITE IT DOWN!

Too many great ideas come to people and they don’t write them down. They become lost, only to reappear at some other date to the person chiming “I HAD THAT IDEA!” So, go out and get a notebook. I have three grid paper moleskine notebooks at my ready. One on my desk at work, one on my nightstand, and one that seemingly floats about the rest of the house. I chose grid paper because it allows me to sketch logos while also writing. But a napkin or $.20 notebook will do.

2. If that written idea seems good a week later, do it.

Too many people have too many great ideas and fail to act on them. ACT ON IT. It is amazing to watch Rob Dyrdek function in the show ‘Fantasy Factory’ on MTV. He has random spurts of creativity and the one difference between him and millions of Americans is that he has a profound way of getting it done. From crazy ideas like Rob’s to applicable ideas that can help people’s lives, if you don’t act on them they aren’t worth the ink they’re written in.

3. Pay it Forward.

As Jason said at the culmination of our call, ‘When someone comes around asking for help or guidance, make sure to do what I did and share your knowledge.’ Likewise, I just saw the enshrinement of Karl Malone into the hall of fame. He ended his acceptance speech stating ‘What good is success if you can’t share it with someone else?’

When you have even the remote semblance of success, don’t be too caught up in what you’re doing to forget the immense joy that comes from helping others and lending advice.

Now go out after it and get it! Take the time to read that article, it just might inspire you too.

Click on the link for the BusinessWeek article and if you’re interested in learning more about Plan B Branding and their impressive body of work, click here.

The Winner’s Psychology

I am going to begin this blog with a quote, “In the pros, talent alone isn’t enough” (CALIPER, 14.)  To athletic supporters, this may already be known, but to others its shocking. Allow this to resonate for a moment and let us explore this in a self sense. During this on going economic recession, millions of individuals across the universe strive to seek jobs. Sound like competition? Believe me, its an intense playing field with limited silver lining. Some spend days visiting several business establishments turning in applications and submitting their resume.

Some spend hours applying electronically only to be placed in a database flying low on the recruiter radar. Then there is the bitter sweet excitement you have been selected for an interview. Dressing to impress, sharpening your knowledge on your previous work experience(s), and acknowledging your skills and talents in efforts to highlight your candidacy have all been checked off your preparation list. Now, you are at the interview and throughout have maintained strong eye contact with the interviewer as well as sold yourself undoubtedly well acing every question and then some with zero hesitation. The interview ends with sincere handshakes and you leave with a business card in hand most likely in efforts to obtain contact information to inquire on the status of your application. Two weeks go by and its been crickets between you and the prospective employer, no phone call, no e-mail. Two weeks turn into over a month and crickets turn into utter darkness.

It is then safe to assume you did not get the job. This is often unfavorably what several peoples’ job hunt succumbs to and it is immensely frustrating. You feel you put your life on hold for this one shot and it crumbles. How is it that employers do not have the time to tell a candidate they are a no hire? Several questions run through your mind; “was I not qualified enough overall?” “Did another candidate have more on the job experience?” “Did I disappoint in the interview?” etc. Instead of worrying about the inhumane reasoning behind no response, build yourself mentally. Sports managers and coaches go through a similar process when assessing potential players in talent recruitment. They ask themselves whether or not a player is prone to injuries or if they can dominate the court on a team-basis.More importantly, are they able to handle a loss psychologically? What about several consecutive losses?

This is where we take into account “the psychology of the winner” established by Herb Greenberg, Ph.D, President and CEO of Caliper, a company that aids businesses in peak performance. Greenberg believes that three characteristics attribute to this winner outlook: self-discipline, competitiveness, and an optimistic sense of self. Let us break down these themes. Self-discipline is the inner desire of continuous improvement. Competitiveness is the fuel to the fire where the ultimate drive and risk are a go. A positive self sense is remedy towards handling failure. If one has belief in he/she, failure is seen as a minimal part of the situation and moving on is easier.

Greenberg believes that players can beat the odds by marriaging talent and inner motivation. Players that ride on ability alone never make it off the bench due to their lack of self-discipline, competitiveness, and self-esteem. At the end of the day, athletes only face winning or losing, as individuals we face survival in day to day activities. Utilizing the characteristics that make up “the psychology of the winner” can allow us to make it through any experience or event in any personal or professional application, especially in the world’s on-going battle in seeking employment. Rejection is not so bitter after all.

Powering Through “The Mud”

Throughout the year that we have been in business there have been times when motivation and energy have been low…it is normal for anyone to go through those stages.  You would think lack of motivation would come from hearing no too many times or dealing with people you know will be troublesome.  These two factors can attribute to the lack of motivation, but it is not the major factor.

The key ingredient of keeping both motivation and energy low are perpetual projects stuck in “the mud”.   This spurns from a project taking much too long and sucking the life out of me.  When I come in to the office in the morning, I think about what I did the day before that I need to wrap up.  This is when it hits me… we still have Project X and Project Y out there.  Wait, when did we sign those?  Three months ago!  Are these projects ever going to end?  These things were supposed to be quick and easy…

It is tough to be motivated to try and garner new clients when you have a couple of projects that are taking more time than they should have.  The problem is that we are a service industry and being so we cannot just deliver a tangible item and call it a day.  There are revisions, phone calls, updates, more revisions, more phone calls, scope creep, and much more.  It is tough to wrap your head around something that you cannot touch and unfortunately for us, not many people know that they are committing such errors and helping us to stay in “the mud”.

These are some of the issues that come from a project stuck in the mud:

Lack of motivation for completion of said project

Lack of motivation for garnering new clients and new projects

Lack of energy to start and finish the work days

• Sometimes I feel like one of the people in those stupid 5 Hour Energy Drink commercials

Questions about yourself and your business

• Is what I am doing correct
• Did I make the right decision with this business

What is wrong with my model

Okay, so you probably will ask what you can do to get out of the mud.  Unfortunately you cannot just call AAA and have them tow you out…it would be nice, but is not going to happen. Keep these tips in mind:

Be confident and keep a level head with the project and your client

• The last thing you need to do is act unprofessional and tick off a client

Do not work tirelessly on something you know cannot be completed by the end of the day due to circumstances not in your control

Figure out what the issue is and start working towards a conclusion

• Sounds like something simple, but when something is going wrong, people just tend to complain about the issue instead of hammering out the solution

If it is a communication error, meet face-to-face with your client

This type of communication will get things done…you or your client can hide behind emails all day, but you cannot hide in a face-to-face encounter

Being stuck in the mud is eventually going to happen.  You just need to know how to power through because you are not driving your car, you are driving your business, and unfortunately I have not found the AAA that will take me out of “the mud” on a project…

4 Tips to Starting Your Design Business

You may have a budding freelance career and have clients asking you for an FEIN number. You could be a long-time freelancer and are contemplating starting a design business. Or, you could be an individual that sees an opportunity on the local level to create great design and want to start off on your own. Whatever the case, this article is for those entrepreneurial-minded individuals whom are contemplating their own business.

1. Seek as Much Advice as Possible

There is one certainty when starting your business, you will undoubtedly have an abundance of questions. You will be making big decisions right from the start. Issues like what type of business to file under, which vendors to partner yourself with, how to deal with contractors, how and when to collect money, how to take care of accounting, do you develop your own contracts or let a lawyer do it…the questions are endless.

You will need answers beyond those that Google can find. You will need sound advice from individuals that have been there, done that. To keep costs low, work your inner-circle of friends for answers and advice. When you can’t get the answers from them, pay for them.

When we started, we sought out mentors, professors, and peers from advice. We were shocked that so many companies that would be considered competitors were willing to offer up advice. The key is to take it all with a grain of salt. As Jay-Z says “Everyone can tell you how to do it, they never did it”.

2. Spend Time on Your Own Marketing

It is very easy to continue to seek out opportunity after opportunity when you start off to bring money in and help your bottom line. After all, it is important to keep the lights on!

That being said, focus some of your efforts every week on your own marketing. This may be your own website, an advertisement, or other creative strategy for getting your name out there. In an industry where you are likely working on marketing pieces for other companies, having poor marketing materials for your own business is not a good selling point. We are still not great with this, but is a big objective every week and we realize with great design talent, we have a very big leg up on people operating in other businesses as creative is a large expense.

3. Don’t Spend More Than You Make

Sounds pretty simple, right? This was some of the best advice given to me from my friend that owns numerous restaurants in the area. His comment: “If you make 10 dollars, only spend 5″. Simple advice, but if the Great Recession that America is just emerging from provided any lesson, it was that companies with high overhead typically do no survive downfalls in the economy.

Keep your expenses low, start small and grow as your company grows. Don’t go out and get your dream office right away. Allow your company to grow to that level and go gangbusters then! Also, do not borrow money if you do not have to. Too many people have great business ideas that fail because they can not take on the projects that really push them because they play it safe knowing that they have to pay a creditor. It can also quickly become a nightmare dealing with investors as you suddenly are no longer answering to yourself, but the concerns of individuals with money on the line. While investment does make sense, make sure to analyze it thoroughly and ensure that it is a good fit before taking on this added responsibility.

4. Stay Positive

Face it, the fact of being an entrepreneur and stepping off on your own is nerve racking. There will always be someone telling you this is a terrible idea and that you are crazy. Add to that the fact that the beginning years of any business are cyclical and full of ups and downs and you can find yourself focusing on negative things. Your friends will be jetting around in new cars, getting new toys, and going on great vacations. This jealousy can wreak havoc on your own dreams.

Remember to always stay positive and learn something from the negative situations you encounter in business. Stay committed to long-term life fulfillment and not the temporary, short-term happiness.

This is not a complete list by any means. We all encounter different things through our own experiences. These are just some key points that we at Gainlight have encountered since we started. Share some of your advice and thoughts below. We would love to hear your opinions!

The Power of Positive Relationships

So far in our young company’s life, we have come across all kinds of people.  People just starting out, people just thinking about going out on their own, people who have no idea what they do, the people who promise everything and give nothing, good clients, bad clients, etc…but one thing I have taken away from everyone I have met is to respect anyone and everyone you meet.  Why is this so?  You never know who that person knows or how you may cross paths with them in the future.

We have had more than a half a dozen instances where down the road a potential client knew someone we have already worked with.  Just yesterday I had a girl call me saying the company she was interning with had a need for our services…that is a crazy story.  We did a few t-shirt orders for her organization and one of them came back from the printer wrong.  Her event was the next day so the shirts could not be reprinted…what could we do?  I told her if she trusted us to have another job that we make sure it was done right.  She gave us another chance and their next job was not only done right, but we only charged them what it cost us to have the shirts made.

Living up to a promise I made to an upset client has lead to 2 more confirmed jobs and one possible very large one as well.  This was just by using the old adage of treating everyone with respect and making sure the client is satisfied.  If I would have done nothing about the shirt order, I am sure the three jobs would have not come my way.  By alleviating a problem to the best of my ability, I not only was able to save my company’s face, but ensured future business from a very good client.  When the original order came through, I had no idea if future business was to ensue, but I did what I could to please the client the first time.  Now whenever this client has an order that we can fulfill, I am hoping she can trust us to come through for her.

Throughout the last year I have tried to make the best out of any situation no matter if it was going well or not.  I made sure not to make anyone mad because it was eminent very early that people talk…and if you do a bad job more people seem to know than if you did a good job.  It is not to say we have not had some troublesome clients and troublesome deals, but we have made sure to try and come through with all of our claims to the best of our ability.  Even some of our most troublesome clients have introduced us to other potential clients.

In our field it seems that everyone we meet knows someone we have already done business with.   A website client here in Peoria was known very well by a restaurant owner in Bloomington that we were introduced to through a third party.  “Oh wow, I know so and so we have been friends for a few years now”.  It happens much more than you think and you have to make sure not to offend anyone because it can lead to trouble for you.

When dealing with any type of customer remember to:

1. Treat them with respect no matter what.  Although it is tough to do in negative situations, you cannot come off as someone who is disrespectful or others will find out and not want to do business with you.
2. You never know who other people are connected with so keep your true feelings about someone to yourself.  If you tell the wrong person that the owner of xyz company is a jerk, they may know that person and go tell them what you said.
3. If you know the meeting is leading nowhere just be a good sport and finish the meeting.  Do not say anything to offend the other party and do not just leave them hanging. End it as politely as possible and do not schedule another meeting with them.

Don’t Be a “Traditional” Networker

John Smith: “Hello my name is John Smith from XYZ Company.  How are you tonight?  Wow, that is interesting!  Well these are the reasons you should buy from my company…”

Me: ZzzZzzzZ

John Smith:“So Matt, what do you think of XYZ Company?”  “When can I expect a call from you to buy ….”

Me: ZzZzzzzZzzzZzzZzzz

This piece of dialogue is what goes through my mind at networking events.  It is not to say I have not been guilty of doing the same thing when I first started, but most of these people have been in business for many years.  They take time out of their busy schedule to attend an event and then put everyone else who came to the event to sleep.  Newsflash; when people go to these events, they are not looking to buy!  “Networkers” are not, I REPEAT, are not your customers.  People at networking events are gate keepers and even at that point, their friends or co-workers may not even be your customers.

Attendees of events do not realize that a networking event is like asking a girl out.  You do not just walk up to them and ask them out…there is a courtship that is involved.  You “flirt” with them, go out with them in a social setting, maybe go out on a few dates for ice cream or to a cinematic adventure, and then muster up the courage to ask them out.  If you asked them out on first contact, rejection would most likely ensue… and the same thing goes with networking.

If someone walks up to me at a networking event and tries to hard sell me on anything, I immediately focus on something else.  It is just like the conversion at the beginning…that is what is running through my mind.  Yes I am there to discuss what I do and what my business has to offer, but I have come to understand these people are not my customers.  When I first started attending events of this nature, I believed these people were my customers, but quickly learned they were not.  How did I come to this understanding?  It is not science when people do not want to talk to you or call you back…it is obvious your approach was all wrong and that something needs to change.

What I do now at events is give a brief description of who I am and my business, but try and make relationships with people instead.  People are not going to recommend or buy from some stranger…they are going to recommend people they know and buy from people they are comfortable with.  Walking up to someone at an event and trying to sell your product or service is the same thing as cold calling…and we all know the fun that comes with a cold-call.

Some things to remember while at a networking event or some sort of social event

1.)    Don’t hard-sell yourself, your product, or your service.  Just think about how much you like being sold on something when you are at a social event.

2.)    Make friends at these events.  The people that are networking are gate-keepers to your potential clients.  Get to know them and become their friends and they will recommend you to their friends.

3.)    If you are giving a presentation, do not read straight from note cards or from a sheet of paper.  How can you not speak for 8-10 minutes about your business without a note card?  I understand that you may be nervous, but who knows your business better than you?  Also, be sure to engage your audience.  Do not JUST tell them information for the 8-10 minutes because they will be sure to tune you out.

4.)    Make sure to follow up with people you meet.  Do not follow up by trying to sell them something; ask them how they are doing, what they have been up to, or if they will be attending next month’s event.

5.)    Stop selling at these events…no one wants to buy it, no matter what it is.

Combating the Issue of Price: A Designer’s Viewpoint

Designers abroad have the stigma that we lose sight of the goals on hand and frolic down from rabbit trail to rabbit trail only to arrive at an ending unbeknown to the client. The scattered brained individuals whom only care about our own opinions, our own ideas, and that our egos are fed effectively at the end of a project. As a designer, you know this is bogus.

People hire designer’s to fulfill the complex need of creative advice, creation, and implementation. Again, people hire designers to fulfill the complex need of creative advice, creation, and implementation (anything I mention twice is usually important).

We are in the same boat as an individual seeking out a doctor to fulfill the complex need of health advice or an iron worker to fulfill the complex need of welding steel 40 floors up. We are skilled and trained individuals constantly relearning our craft and executing a currently unattainable need for a client.

Here me out when I say this: DO NOT GET MAD ABOUT THE THE TRASH PRODUCED BY HUNGRY ARTISTS WHO DO NOT YET REALIZE THAT QUALITY WEBSITES COST MORE THAN $50. I am absolutely SICK of hearing designers, blogs, and the comment rat bitching in the design community about clients and their misunderstanding of how ‘bad’ we got it. We don’t have it bad. Go read the news. There are a lot worse things going on so stop complaining about a child who prices a logo at the same price as a Timex watch at Wal-Mart.

Okay, this is edging on an all out rant, but I do want to supply you all with some solid advice. My buddy jokes about channeling his inner chi. It could be when we are about to have a drink at the bar, he’s about to line up his golf shot, or in he’s the process of headbutting someone. Regardless, this is great advice if you ever find yourself in the situation of someone else comparing an individuals trash work to your elegant, thought-out creation. Here’s a few points to keep in mind if you’re confronted by someone comparing your work to someone else’s:

1. Don’t approach business like a starving artist

When first starting out, designers have the tendency of getting to a point where they’re so hungry for work, anything and everything the client says is like the first time they saw the opposite sex naked. “OMG!!! THAT’S AWESOME!” Likewise, the hungry designer tends to price things low as it is an easy way to add to the portfolio and work around the biggest barrier to entry: skill.

So settle down, and collect yourself. I ask that you channel your inner chi and harness the notion I stated twice to you earlier, “People hire designers to fulfill the complex need of creative advice, creation, and implementation.” We are fulfilling a complex need. No where does it say that the client is always right and no where does it say that our services are so easy a cave-man could do it.

2. Be honest

It is our job to give candid feedback even in situations where we may feel it could hurt the client’s feelings. They don’t have to like it, they’re the decision maker, but the project will be better because of it. A good business person will accept your opinion therefore accepting your hourly rate and a healthy dialogue will unfold. Additionally, they will realize that the website they could have gotten for $50 may have functioned, but it will be as generic as a $4 prescription from Target. To top it off, they would have learned nothing, likely had little input in any of it, and the crappily designed website starting at $50 is now costing them $5000 because of errors made originally by an lesser skilled individual.

This means we must position ourselves solidly as idea champions from the onset. We should allow enough feedback from the client to make them feel as if they were so involved in the process that they created the work, when in all actuality, we remain in the drivers seat the entire time. I know you will come across some that just don’t get it and tell you how to do your job. Avoid them like the plague. They’re devoid of all common sense and will milk you for all you’re worth.

3. Don’t focus on what others are doing

If we all did what everyone else was doing, no one would be unique. If an individual is pricing their work at $50, let them!

(Arnold Voice) Stop whining!

That individual will cease to be a factor in your ideal clients mind if you hold this mentality. Why? You provide better service, a better product, and a lasting image. Any marketing lesson will tell you that a rational buyer will be willing to pay for this.

I remember an example from a marketing professor: an optometrist charging $50 for Lasik eye-surgery raises a red-flag. Well the same can be said for a designer charging $50 for a website to a rational buyer. You’re in business to make money. In order to make money, you must provide quality service. In order to provide quality service, you must pay more. Mercedes are not the same as Kias. Kias are not the same as Mercedes. While they fulfill the same role, they are simply not comparable. Whether your business model is wide or tall it is entirely up to you. Just focus on yourself and be aware of others pricing.

If you’d like to read about pricing from a salesman’s perspective, read “3 Keys to Avoiding a Design Price War” by our own Matt Lakics. I also recommend checking out fellow designer David Airey’s “First Step to Graphic Design Pricing” for more great advice on this topic!

3 Keys To Avoiding a Design Price War

I was told a story from a friend of mine about a plumber.  A customer called a plumber to fix a problem, so the plumber drove out to his house.  The customer was livid because he needed his sink to wash the dishes, but it was clogged beyond belief.  After taking a look at the sink, the plumber knew exactly what the problem was.  He took his wrench; hit the pipe in a certain spot, and the water began to drain.  The plumber then turned to the customer and said that will be $120.  Flabbergasted, the customer asked why as it only took him two minutes.  With a big smile on his face, the plumber said you just paid for 15 years of experience.

In the design world, we have found the opposite to be true.  Whenever a price is considered, the customer seems to have the power to bring our price down.  For whatever reason prices for our services are not seen as something that is fixed, but is viewed more like a flea market.  Every time this happens, it drives me nuts because our services are professional, yet it feels like we are at a reverse auction house when quoting a project out.  Fifty dollars, forty dollars, thirty dollars, SOLD!

You could not walk into a car mechanic and work their price down.  After your accountant prepares your taxes for the year, their prices are non-negotiable.  Why, then, can a client walk into our office and demand to pay a lower price for our services?

Unfortunately for us, “graphic designers” are a considered to be a dime-a-dozen, a commodity.  There are designers everywhere who will take a project for a percentage of what they should be charging just to keep their lights on.  Since this is the case, our potential clients believe they can talk us down to a much lower price.  What is unfair for our company is that since this is so common, we sometimes have trouble standing up for our prices.  Clients have walked out of our office to go and find someone “more affordable”.

Some pointers for designers out there having these same issues:

1. Stick to your guns:

If you charge $100 an hour, stick to that as close as possible.  If you need to dip below that for a smaller client, fine, but try and lock in future value in writing.  Some people may not be able to afford the $100 an hour, but may be able to afford $70 an hour.  Analyze these situations with caution and only meet if you can get more work in the future at the price you deserve. You can garner large clients from a humbling beginning after all.

2. Let them walk

If the client is threatening that they will walk away unless you drop the price below what you need to make, let them walk.  Most of the time you do not want to work with someone of that nature anyways.  We have found that it is better to deal with client issues if they are paying a premium rather than dropping below your comfort zone and dealing with the same issues.  You may lose a potential client, but may alleviate a major headache before it happens.

3. Demand what you’re worth

Don’t be afraid to demand what you are worth.  If you do not do so, you will never make what you need to make.  How can you ever expand if you never make a profit on your projects?

It is a tough world for designers these days as people do not want to pay us what we are worth.  There will always be people doing inexpensive work, but do not shy away from demanding what you are worth.  Keep that in mind when quoting a project and soon enough you will find the clients you deserve, paying the prices you demand, and business will be booming.

Instant Professionalism: Your Business Card

You all have likely heard of Joel Bauer and seen his video on YouTube about business cards and how he tears them to shreds.  I know what you are thinking…his ending is nuts. With that pop-up business cards and all his over-the-top shenanigans, it is hard to tell if the guy is being serious. But, delve deeper, and his message is very clear: your business card is crap.  He takes a shrewd look at random business cards and after a few chuckles, you realize what he is saying has some legs.

He starts off with the “stock” of the business card.  Personally I have been handed business cards that have been printed from an ink jet printer and laugh hysterically when one is handed to me.  Also, people hand me a business card they obviously had made at a big box store with a random clip art image and that initiates the same laugh. Ask yourself this: how does this make your business look?

Now I understand if someone is just starting out and they cannot afford anything else, grow as you grow. But, I have met people who have been in business for years and still have such terrible business cards.  Why?  If you are looking to be perceived as more professional, have a company come up with a logo for your company, or a business card that is not a template held by 5,000 other painters across the country.

With these facts aside, one of the biggest things that bugs me on a business card is when someone directs me to an email address that is ‘@yahoo.com’ or ‘@gmail.com’.   So you mean to tell me that you own your own business or you work for a company and they cannot supply a @CompanyName.com?  This drives me insane and when I see that, every ounce of me just wants to tell them how unprofessional they appear.  Especially if you’re the owner of a small business…businessname@gmail.com is something that needs to be changed as soon as possible.

The last thing that irks me is when people place their titles on their card.  In the video, Joel Bauer goes on to talk about people putting their titles on their business card.  He states how he knows people who put CFO or Vice President of a company that makes $10,000 a year.  “Wow, I’m impressed!”   Why should a title matter?  So what that I am the Vice-President of my company, that does not mean anything more than just having a title.  Keep it simple: name, number, address, website, and a catchy slogan.  The business card is a gift that should come only after good conversation. Don’t say your name and carpet bomb a networking event with your card.

Small things of this nature will go a long way.  I understand printing your own business cards is cheap, but you should never do so, especially if you want to be perceived as professional.  Having the printing done at a big box store is just as expensive as having it done with a professional marketing and design company.  The major difference with an order through a big box store vs. a marketing company, is that by going to a big box store you are receiving a template design with a subpar quality stock of business card.

Your business card is a representation of your business when you can’t be.  You should not feel confident handing off a representation of your business that is sub-par in quality or that is a template had by a number of others.  Doing this would not make me feel confident and would actually make me embarrassed.

You don’t spend the money until you make the money…but you need to spend some money on the representation of your company that you will leave behind with a potential company.